The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has granted bail to Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former Sri Lankan president and accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa, following his arrest by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa was released on three personal sureties of Rs. 5 million each. Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva also imposed a foreign travel ban on him.
The order was issued after the court considered submissions made by both the defence and the Bribery Commission.
Rajapaksa was arrested on Wednesday after arriving at CIABOC to provide a statement in connection with an ongoing investigation into his admission to the Sri Lanka Navy and subsequent training at the Royal Naval Academy in the United Kingdom.
The Bribery Commission stated that he was arrested on charges of aiding and abetting the offence of corruption in relation to the matter.
According to CIABOC, the investigation concerns the recruitment of cadet officers to the executive branch of the Sri Lanka Navy in 2006.
It is alleged that individuals were recruited without meeting the required qualifications and that state funds were used outside established procedures to facilitate training at the Royal Naval Academy in the United Kingdom.
Following his arrest, Yoshitha Rajapaksa was produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court by the Bribery Commission.
The case adds to continuing scrutiny of the Rajapaksa family, which dominated Sri Lankan politics for years and has faced repeated allegations of corruption, abuse of power and impunity.
Mahinda Rajapaksa oversaw the final stages of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict in 2009, when tens of thousands of Tamils were killed in what is increasingly recognised as a genocide. His administration also presided over deepening militarisation, enforced disappearances and widespread allegations of state abuse across the Tamil homeland.
The Bribery Commission’s investigation into Yoshitha Rajapaksa’s naval recruitment and overseas training will continue, with the court’s travel ban remaining in place as proceedings move forward.